Judge — June 8, 1929 — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JUDGE Hovait it suffers from a loose plot and bad lighting, “Gentlemen of the made more than worth while by an exceptionally od cast. The theme of the play and the attempted reproduction on the si that the newspaper business is a dog's life. In transition from the spot lights to the soundproof studios the manuscript lost Press” is what sting it had; the concluding sc with a feeling the but that the had no imo ne leaves: you somebody has had a stiff tragedy srumbling presses under the news-room » to do with it than the slick-haired gal who vamped a veteran news-man and his son-in-law. The excellent characterizations of Walter Houston, Katherine Francis, Betty Lawford and Charles Rug gles (the greatest of them being the charming Miss wford) diminished the opprobrium of the news- aper, the much-publicized theme of the authors, and ave you the fecling that three people were battling cach other for existence and that whether they had been connected with a newspaper or a hot-dog stand attles would have been worth observing. “Gentlemen of the Press” represents a good study of the stage-talking-movie discussion, if we must g into that ag » whereas the original play was considered a serious and well-mannered tr an undignified profession, the movie se snorting, two-fisted can of meaty di ence that surrounded sng the slightly bawdy remarks with all the hungry earnestness of a starved alley-cat clamping onto a pet canary that had just fluttered out of its ca All of which causes us to point a nicotined finger at Will Hays and the censors to cry “Sissy !" and to add that so long as such first-rate plays as “Coquette” are not allowed to di vulge the fact that children are not brought by cun ning storks, the talking movie can never really offer any dialogue comparable to the s Comedy and finesse, as in “Bulldog Drummond,’ few remarks by a drunken reporter and a very clever bit of dia- logue between a kept woman and a reporter offered in n, beeau: cys “Gentlemen of the Press” constitute the most vigor- ous remarks the reverend Hays has allowed us to date. Wait until he hears “Strange Interlude”— it'll probably put his staff in bed for a week; that is, if the actors read their lines and meanings. If this warranted at the unprecedented power of the rocking-chair censors has left you in any doubt to the worth of “Gentlemen of the Press.” T assure you it's worth seeing. ‘There isn’t much plot, but what's a plot to a movie director? wouLp not spend much I were it not that pract ers of the slowly explain. their swipe time on ly all the earnest review- flaming pastels went into mild ecestasies Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the reason. For the first five minutes you are led to believe that you are over it. ing to sit in on a rings out, a police s pod mystery story. A Mg Inan wanders into a tion to give himself up, and you feel that whoever he shot deserved it, and that the « worth a wait. It isn't. After the first five minutes appears that the hero is going to the chair rather than divulge his name and ruin his family, after fifty- five minutes of rose-covered-cottage sw and light on the part of a mother and sister who must ave learned their lines while they ms at Smith, you are right glad he does. Muni, the vs The rest of the ¢ lighting, a porta shot stern y swer is “tness were studying Paul nt hero, gives a superb performance. st, the direction, the dialogue and the “The Valiant” is of no im- spt_as a means of showing that Muni, in a decent movie, might be a capable young man. [5 “Hot Stuff” we are given another Hollywood fra ternity house with the chorus boy and girl clothes that made “The Wild y" such a work of art. A wild boy and girl decide the game isn’t worth the candle, throw away their flasks, kiss and set up house- keeping. “Hot Stuff” is just warmed-over movie soup. rocious. nce EXC The Movie Guide “Alibi” —Well-direeted and fast-moving —Censored beyond recog- “Coquette nition, but Mary Pickford does a good Job in what she has left. tops Ost” —William Haines and a made-to-order fight story. “Errnal Leve"—Cold drama, Joba Barrymore, and a pretty gal “Gentlemen of the Press”—In this inoue. crook movie with superb leading mao, Chester Morris. 2 ay —Singing and talking drama of stage life, strongly reminucent of last year's stage bits “Bulldog Drummend™—The best tali- ing picture to date, with Ronald Colman. “Betrayal” —Jannings scores again “Hearts ia Dirie"—It gore Uncle Tom once in a while, but Stepia Petebit is funny enough to make ui Alle pegro and all-talking. “Het Stuf” —Warmed-over movie soup. “tanecents of Paris”—A very famous Freneb star gets a dirty deal from the producers; they gave ‘bian the from gutter-to-Broadway story to do. for it. “Madame X"—An old melodrama brought to life by Ruth Chatterton’ per- feet performance. “Meah’s Ast" —1 haven't bad the courage Lo see it yet. {rirecapetion”—A talkie that doren't talk clearly enough to understand. “The Valisat”—In this issue. comicbooks.com